Last season, Mount Carmel’s Emmett Dowling started in place of injured quarterback Jack Elliott as the Caravan suffered a 16-13 loss to Brother Rice.

Playing at home this time around, Dowling and the Caravan weren’t about the let the Crusaders take another one. Now a senior, Dowling accounted for over 400 yards of offense, while Mount Carmel’s defense made three crucial red-zone stops as the Caravan (No. 1 in 8A) took down Brother Rice (No. 1 in 7A) 27-14 in a matchup of undefeated, state-ranked programs Friday night.

“I started that game last year and I put that in my mind throughout the whole offseason,” said Dowling, who threw for 352 yards and three touchdowns in the victory. “That was what fueled me to get this win. Our offensive line gave me the time to make plays and it’s awesome being undefeated. We have a lot of momentum right now and we’ll try to carry it over to our next few games.”

The first of Mount Carmel’s three red zone stands came early in the first quarter, when running back Jameson Davis broke loose for a 45-yard run to move Brother Rice (5-1, 1-1 CCL/ESCC Blue) inside the 5-yard line. But the Caravan (6-0, 2-0 CCL/ESCC Blue) made four straight run stops over the next four snaps, tackling Crusader quarterback C.J. Gray for a loss on fourth down.

“The game plan was to attack until they quit,” Mount Carmel defensive lineman and USC commit Braeden Jones said. “We couldn’t let [C.J.] run around and if he didn’t run around, we were going to win the game. We played relentless defense. From the DB corps to the D-line and the LBs, I feel like everybody wants it more and we work so hard in practice. I’m so proud of my guys.”

Brother Rice defensive end Kameron McGee made a pair of key plays to keep the game scoreless in the first quarter, bringing Dowling down for a sack and recovering a fumble on a bad snap to give the Crusader offense a short field. Needing a spark, Brother Rice executed a trick play, scoring on a 38-yard pass from wide receiver Lucas Strang, who faked a run, to tight end Colin Goggin.

Trailing 7-0, Mount Carmel kicked its offense into high gear, making it a one-point game after Dowling fired a deep ball to wide receiver Jamari Brown for a 46-yard touchdown. It was the longest play from scrimmage for the Caravan, who took their first lead of the game when Dowling rolled right and hit inside wide receiver Duran Sims for a 19-yard touchdown early in the second quarter.

“Adversity hit, but we had a game plan,” said Dowling, who ran for a team-high 59 yards and completed passes to six different players in the victory. “We had a good week of practice and it just translated to the field. Our receiving corps is awesome and I truly think it’s the best in the state. That’s great to have because I can throw the ball to whomever and I know they will make a play.”

With the Caravan defense putting the clamps on Gray and the Brother Rice running game, Mount Carmel extended its lead midway through the second quarter, when running back Nathan Samuels plowed forward for a 1-yard touchdown. Samuels, who showcased his receiving abilities out the backfield, brought in seven receptions for a team-high 94 yards in the game.

“We took a loss last year and people were hyping this game up, but we just treated it like another game,” said Mount Carmel corner Tavares Harrington, who had one sack and helped the Caravan hold Brother Rice receiver and South Dakota State recruit Jovan Green Jr. to two catches. “Our coaches had energy and our defensive line is insane. I don’t think there’s a D-line in the state that’s like ours. The D-line makes it easy for the DBs to make plays.”

Down 20-7 entering the third quarter, Brother Rice continued to lean on its running game, which, combined with increased pace, resulted in more success in the second half. With running back Jaylin Green picking up yards on the ground, Brother Rice moved the ball into the red zone and scored on a 5-yard throw from Gray, who bought time and found Goggin open in the end zone.

“As a staff, we spoke before we went into the locker room and we said we needed to stop with the wrinkles,” Brother Rice head coach Casey Quedenfeld said. “There was some lack of alignment and communication in the first half, but we got back to what we’ve done over the first five weeks. We were able to execute some of the basics and gaining yards on first down was very helpful.”

Mount Carmel responded roughly two minutes later, capitalizing on a fourth-down pass interference penalty and surging ahead on a 12-yard touchdown throw from Dowling to wide receiver Marshaun Thornton. The sophomore totaled 81 yards on seven catches for the Caravan, who delivered a red-zone stand at their own 11-yard line in the final moments of the third quarter.

“We struggled with quarterback scramble drills in the first half,” Quedenfeld said. “We need to do a better job with that and they also did a good job of pushing the ball out to the running back in the flat quickly. We struggled to tackle in the first half. In the second half, we knew we would put ourselves in good shape if we could do the little things and communicate.”

Cornerback Gabriel Spencer helped clinch the win for the Caravan, snagging an interception on a fourth-down play at the Mount Carmel 5-yard line with less than two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. It was the only turnover of the game by Gray, an Army recruit who finished with 94 passing yards and 57 rushing yards. Green rushed for 77 yards and Davis followed with 62 yards.